Microsoft Corp. said it will invest $1 billion to fund companies and other organizations working on carbon reduction and removal technology to fight climate change.

Annual CDP report covering companies worth three quarters of European market cap finds 47% reward their senior management for managing climate topics, with 1 in 4 tying incentives to climate targets.

Syed Abbas started thinking a lot about the climate in 2018. That he did so wasn’t a coincidence — it was the summer the climate strikes were taking place and for the first time, he and his team really started to notice the big movement happening all around them.
Click here for more info.

Click here for more info.

It seems like Earth Day went by in a breeze! We made resolutions and promises to ourselves and our communities to treat the environment better, but how many of us really took action on those promises? Well, Nano is enabling you to make a positive impact on our planet while having fun competing with family and friends. What’s better than that? Funny that you ask… we are now offering exciting new prizes to the first, second and third place winners of each week’s championship competition!

In lieu of Earth Day, Nano has launched an exciting new championship for its players called “Earth Celebration.” This campaign aims to encourage our community to take active steps in creating an
eco-friendly world. We want to empower our players to measure their positive impact in local communities across the globe.

So, how do you take part? It’s easy! Just log into your Nano app and go to the “Champions” screen. The “Earth celebration” championship is free and open to participants from any country. To date, we have already avoided over 80,332 grams of carbon emissions, and this week we’re hoping to double that number with your help!

Now let’s get to the fun part…. winning! Saving the planet is rewarding, and Nano makes sure of that. The top 3 players with the largest carbon impact win the competition at the end of each week. Winners will be selected every Friday night at 11;59 PM CST, and announced on Saturday at 12:00 PM CST.

Prize details are as follows

1st prize $150
2nd prize $100
3rd prize $50

We know everyone loves a good championship. So, what’re you waiting for? Reduce more, win more.

Each time you walk outside your apartment building, you’re bound to come across some trash lying on the floor. Your first thought will be, “it’s not my mess; why should I clean it up?”. In hindsight, that’s our attitude towards climate change as well. At the end of the day, it’s your neighborhood, and you do have the responsibility of keeping it clean. 

Some people might find it disgusting to pick up a piece of trash. We’ll break it down into simple steps for you. Here’s what you need: 

1. A napkin
2. Access to a trash can

Just pick the trash up using the napkin and dispose of it off to the nearest trash can. It’s that simple. Before you know it, you’ll be setting an example in the neighborhood, and everyone around you will be picking up the trash as well. 

Still not convinced? Well, here are a few reasons why trash pick-ups are impactful: 

• It keeps our environment beautiful. Litter is an ugly sight in the area. It can adversely impact the sense of community in the area. By picking up the trash, you’re beautifying the space and showing commitment towards your community. 
• Protects wildlife. Nesting animals may confuse litter for food and get harmed. Furthermore, trash in the waterways will affect aquatic life negatively as well. 
• Keeps costs down. According to “Keep America Beautiful,” litter cleanup costs the United States $11.5 a year. 
• Protects children. Children have the tendency to pick up the items out of curiosity. It’s important to have closed bins so that they are out of reach of children. 

Now, we challenge you to #PickUpTheTrash and play your part in helping our environment. Start your Nano tasks today!

Global Wind Day is a worldwide event that is celebrated on the 15th of June. It is a day that we can utilise to discover the possibilities of wind energy, its future and further possibilities in the energy sector. Wind energy is essentially one of the most important renewable energies that will help us decarbonise our economies and reduce the polluting emissions. 

The event is organized annually by the Global Wind Energy Council – the international trade association for the wind power industry. They aim to establish wind energy as a vital solution to the current energy problems, that’ll provide relief to the environment and world economies. 

As of today, the energy sector is responsible for two-thirds of global greenhouse emissions. Greenhouse emissions are the main cause behind global warming, hence alternative sources of energy such as wind energy need to be given precedence.  Additionally, according to  a recent study, wind energy employs over 1.1 billion people worldwide. 

Well, how  can you celebrate Wind Day this year? 

• Attend online conferences and seminars to educate yourself about wind energy
• Organize information campaigns and spread awareness amongst your community 
• Visit an wind farm and learn how wind energy is produced 

Happy Wind Day to you, folks!

Deutsche Telekom’s tech incubator hubraum their sustainability award this year focusing on energy efficiency and sustainability in telecom networks. Their partners Deutsche Telekom, Orange, SK Telecom, and Microsoft, have chosen four winners out of more than 200 applicats. During the Network Sustainability Award ceremony, the award winners were announced.

The goal is to make Deutsche Telecom and startups more successful by creating joint business opportunities and supporting the green tech segment.

2021 marks the second edition of the Network Sustainability Award. Teams presented ideas in areas of energy production, energy storage, energy efficiency.

At the beginning of the session, Axel Menneking, VP of Startup Incubation & Venturing, Managing Director, Hubraum, introduced last year’s winning team, 2Cimple, was introduced and given the floor. 2Cimple created the app Nano – to support individuals, groups and organizations to track their carbon footprint and optimize it playfully.

‘Capitalism and sustainability don’t often go hand in hand’ – Molly Lanfear, Content Creator, Nano.

The Nano Team gave a stellar pitch identifying the key points that led to the app’s creation, the unique bits and the aspects where they require assistance. As the world is moving forward, many companies are pressured by critical stakeholders to reduce their carbon impact. 2Cimple recognized this issue and introduced Nano – a unique, multiplayer gamification platform where users engage through interactive challenges called ‘Nano tasks’, which rewards players for competing in their championships. Nano tracks the avoided carbon emissions and gives companies third-party data to include in their investor communications. The platform features mobile gamification, video, mixed reality, AI and crypto, which integrates well with 5G and IoT. Nano’s partnering up with global partners like Deutsche Telecom and Amazon’s sustainability Data Initiative to help solve climate change. Nano gives companies the chance to be a part of this global movement by tapping into the power of 3.8 billion smartphone users.

Leif Heitzer, Technology Guidance & Economics, Deutsche Telekom AG, was brought to the stage. As a jury member of the Network Sustainability Award, he was asked about his take on the sustainability award. He said that this year, there were many potential solutions in energy efficiency, which made the jury itself an experience.

Partners like Microsoft, Orange, and SK Telecom gave different views on business models from a geographical perspective, making the experience more enriching. According to Leif, you must form a team and collaborate to make it a success. The award is not just about the money but also the visibility and reputation of companies. The Impulse Foundation will offer to pitch to potential investors. As jury members, they could work with the startups to determine whether they could run proof of concept to turn brilliant ideas into reality. The different partners and startups together allow for an ecosystem with beliefs and open mindsets. He mentioned that startups must not just provide meaningful solutions but also the best customer experience.

“It’s about making things real. Helping teams to implement and scale the solutions” – Alex  Axel Menneking, VP Startup Incubation & Venturing, Managing Director, Hubraum

The team that won the Best Young Startup Pitch won 10,000 euros. The winning team was a team from Bavaria, “Fellas”. They came up with a technique for eco-friendly electricity storage using air liquefaction.

Fellas has developed a scalable, cheap and sustainable electricity system using liquid air. By design, the system provides flexibility in scaling power and adapting to the energy storage requirements of customers. It outperforms competitors with cost advantage and excellent environmental performance.

Leon, the representative of Fellas, said that the award highlights the importance and relevance of what Fellas are doing. The funding enables them to finalize proof of concept, develop and prepare a complete-scale pilot project and help assess other business cases.

“Our journey to 100 renewable energy has just begun”